On a bustling street in the heart of Accra, where the rhythm of Ghana’s vibrant culture meets the still, quiet threat of bureaucratic inefficiency, an earnest voice rose above the clamor. This voice belonged to Beauty Nartey, the President of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC). She took the stage at the launch of the Strengthening the Rule of Law and Fight Against Corruption in Ghana project, bearing an unsettling truth.
In her opening remarks, Nartey conveyed an unsettling statistic wrapped in rhetorical reflection. “What comes into our country as support,” she lamented, “is only about half of what we lose to corruption. So one may ask why we are not putting more effort into preventing the loss of such a staggering amount.” It was more than a statement of fact; it was an invitation to look inwards and examine the roots of a pervasive issue.
As I listened, I remembered a story told by my grandmother, about a farmer and his chicken coop. Every morning, he found an egg missing, but he never saw the fox. The day he fortified his walls, not only did the eggs pile up, but so did his peace of mind. Mrs. Nartey’s insights on reducing dependency on foreign aid resonated strongly. She urged that the key to our prosperity lies not in aid, but in building robust defenses against corruption, much like the farmer’s coop.
Reflecting on the recent aid reductions by the United States, Nartey stressed the importance of prioritizing domestic solutions to free up reserves for our nation’s growth. “Corruption,” she warned, “remains a significant obstacle to Ghana’s socio-economic progress and efforts to eradicate poverty.” Her call for more potent deterrents—stronger penalties and more effective enforcement mechanisms—echoed like a call to arms in this ongoing battle.
“We cannot continue paying lip service to the fight against corruption,” she avowed. Her call for stronger collaboration was not just a petition but a blueprint for systemic change. By advocating for cooperation between key institutions like the Auditor-General’s Department and the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), she painted a mosaic of interconnected strength—a force greater than the sum of its parts.
Furthermore, Nartey championed the proposed Illicit Enrichment Law as a beacon of hope in combating unexplained wealth. It’s worth pondering, what could a country achieve if its wealth were transparent, each cedi accounted for and working toward the common good?
EU-German Backed Anti-Corruption Initiative
The event doubled as the launch pad for an ambitious project backed by the EU and Germany—a €12.7 million endeavor under the Participation, Accountability and Integrity for a Resilient Democracy (PAIReD) program. This initiative seeks to bolster Ghana’s current efforts by enhancing transparency and accountability across both national and local spheres.
With GIZ Ghana and Ghana’s Ministry of Finance at the helm, the project’s goals are clear: build capacities of pivotal public bodies like the OSP and EOCO, empower civil society with training and advocacy funding, and promote digitalization for improved transparency. As Astrid Kohl, the Programme Director for PAIReD, eloquently put it, the aim is to make public finance not just more transparent, but also citizen-focused, gender, and climate-responsive.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s scores on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) remain below global averages, an indicator of ongoing public discontent with government accountability. Yet, every step toward transparency is a step away from darkness.
Mrs. Nartey poignantly observed that public trust is continually undermined by persistent corruption in pivotal state institutions—such as the police and even parliament. It brings to mind the question: How can trust be restored? Perhaps it’s in stories like these where the seeds of change are planted.
Call for Civic Responsibility
Nartey did not overlook the role of the everyday Ghanaian in this narrative. To fight corruption effectively, she proposed a three-fold strategy for the public at large:
- Resist corrupt practices.
- Reject inducements that compromise integrity.
- Report corruption to the appropriate authorities.
“Every citizen has a role to play. Building a culture of accountability starts with each of us,” she concluded, articulating what should be the foundational ethos of every Ghanaian.
This event was not merely a gathering. It was a reaffirmation of a collective commitment. Representatives from government, civil society, donor agencies, EU member states, and the media were all present, each playing their part in the pursuit of a Ghana that stands resilient against the tides of corruption.
